Loved and Broken
by amyy.xo
Summary: When the XO is injured in a boarding gone wrong, both Buffer and Boss rush to her side. But who does she choose? K/M/B
1. Chapter 1

This is my first fan fiction. I hope I'm not creating any enemies by splitting mike and Kate up, but I just thought that Pete and Kate made an even cute pair. Please tell me what you think; all your reviews would be greatly appreciated.

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The XO was making her way up to the bridge with a fresh brew when she turned the corner and walked into a preoccupied Buffer.

"Crap." Muttered X as hot coffee spilt over the both of them.

'I'm so sorry Buff' she said looking up and smiling weakly at him.

"Don't worry about it X" He chuckled as he nonchalantly patted her on the shoulder.

He reached up and pulled his shirt over his head, exposing to X the tanned and toned muscles of Buffer's chest.

Instantly she felt the heat on her cheeks and could already imagine the red rush that would have surged to her cheeks, she tried to look away but his broad shoulders were too high and wide to look past.

Buffer laughed again at the embarrassed look on his XO's face.

"I…uh, need to um, go ah…" and she quickly pushed past him and headed for her cabin and left a grinning Buffer behind.

Once inside she closed the door and turned to lean against it. It wasn't the first time she had felt strange around him, but the funny thing was she couldn't decide whether it was because she was uncomfortable around him, or too comfortable to be considered appropriate.

Something had changed between her and buffer lately, but she couldn't remember the exact moment that it had become so awkward between the two of them.

She trusted Buffer with her life; god knows how many times he'd saved her, but recently she'd found the lines of professionalism being blurred. She knew it was wrong though, as the feeling couldn't be mutual.

Sighing, she reached into her cupboard and changed her damp shirt and made her way up to the bridge.

She saw the boss turn at her arrival and he flashed her a quick smile before turning back again.

"Sir?" Ro started "We've just received word from Navcom about a stray boat that they have not been able to contact; we are the closest resource at the moment".

Mike thought for a moment "Nav set course for this boat, I think we should check it out" and he turned to his XO "X?"

X nodded her head "Hands to boarding stations, hands to boarding stations" and listened to her voice resonating around the ship.

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	2. Chapter 2

X enjoyed the feeling of being on the RHIB, with the wind blowing the hair off her face and the steady rocking of each wave. She looked ahead at the boat they would be boarding; it was a large boat unlike the small fishing boats they so often boarded and it was old as well, she could see from the peeling paint and old wood.

She waited for Buffer to board the boat first, as he always did and then followed. Quickly assessing she walked forward "Buffer, Spider you search the… AHH!" The X crashed through the decking and fell to the level below.

"X" shouted Buffer "You alright?" There were sounds of scuffling in the darkness below "Yeah, it's just my head and my arm, I can't move it" There was more scuffling below. "Buffer? There's something down here with me."

Buffer heard a soft yelp and then silence "X?" he yelled again "X? Can you hear me? What's going on?" There was no reply and Buffer started to get anxious.

"Spider, 2Dads, Swain go below and find her now!" Buffer stayed above deck waiting by the hole in the deck for her to respond.

Below decks Buffer heard he radio "X-ray82 this is Charlie82. What is the situation?" This repeated twice and then the boss' anxious voice turned to buffer "Bravo82 this is Charlie82 what is going on?" "Boss, the X has fallen below deck, we are searching for her now" He answered quickly before turning off his radio.

After what seemed like ages Buffer heard a noise coming from the stairs "Did you…" he stopped at the sight of who was at the door.

It was X being held by a strange man. He had a knife to her throat and there was a long cut to her forehead. "X" he cried to no avail, she was unconscious and limp in the man's arms.

"Sir, let her go" He tried to make his voice sound steady and calm but he himself could hear the shake in it. He couldn't stand to see her there so helpless.

Instead of doing what buffer said he dragged the X to the side of the boat. The XO certainly wasn't heavy but the man seemed to have trouble carrying her.

Buffer looked to see what was causing the man's weakness and saw that there was chain around the X's ankles and to that thick chain an anchor was attached.

Realizing what the man intended to do, he yelled "Stop!" Spider, 2Dads and Swain ran up the stairs and on seeing the X rushed towards her and the man, but he just waved the knife around wildly, just missing X's face.

The man carefully lifted the anchor over the railings while taking care that he managed to stay behind his hostage at the same time and also keep the knife at her throat.

Buffer felt helpless as he watched the man lift up the X's petite body and rested her on the railings. He knew he should act, the rest of the crew was looking at him for some sort of direction, but he was paralyzed by his fear for the X's life.

The man looked around at the crew and then silently, pushed her frail body off the boat.

Buffer sparked into action, he quickly lunged at the man, and winced as he felt the knife embed into his thigh. Once he had tackled the man to the ground and was sure that the rest of the crew had him, Buffer jumped into the water diving desperately to find his X, _his Kate._

He saw a glimmer in the water as the sun reflected of her golden hair, and he swum desperately to reach her. When he did, his first instinct was to pull her up with him, but then he remembered the anchor.

He frantically looked for a way to free her legs from the weight when he remembered the back up hand gun in his holster. He pulled it out and prayed that he would not miss. He pulled the trigger and the chain broke.

Quickly he unwrapped the X's legs and pulled her lifeless body close to him as he swum for the surface.

When he did, Swain was already reaching out for her and checking her pulse. "There's no pulse, she isn't breathing".

Swain and buffer urgently performed CPR. Buffer breathing and Swain pumping. The whole time Buffer was silently praying for the X to pull through.

"Mate" Swain sad sadly. "Keep going" Buffer growled and Swain pushed on. Both Spider and 2Dads were watching on anxiously. "Come on X, come on" he begged through gritted teeth, as he moved desperately to breath life into her.

Suddenly, the X coughed and inhaled deeply. Slowly, her eyes fluttered open and a confused look spread across her face.

"Pete?" She asked, her voice a faint whisper over the waves in the background. Buffer had never felt more relieved in his life to hear her speak. He breathed a sigh of relief and looked down at her pale face.

"I'm here Kate." He murmured, aware of the rest of the crews puzzled glances in their direction. She smiled softly, it was the first time that he had called her by her real name.

"Good" she replied gently, and reached over to take his hand in hers, before slowly and silently closing her eyes and letting unconsciousness drift over her once more.


	3. Chapter 3

When Kate opened her eyes again, she found that she was squinting into a bright light, which she recognized to be the harsh light of a hospital.

She assessed herself, moving around on the hospital bed and found that her legs were alright but her ribs were sore, one arm was bandaged, her head was thumping and that one hand was warmer then the other.

She soon grasped that it was buffers hand on hers that was causing the heat. He was sitting on a chair pulled up close to the bed, his head to the side in a position that suggested he was asleep.

She was frustrated that she could not reach over and touch his perfect cheek; her bandaged arm and preoccupied hand made sure of that.

Cautiously, she shook his hand. "Buffer?" she whispered warily. "Buffer." She said louder this time.

His eyes opened quickly and widened as he quickly scanned the room. "Pete" she started again "Hi" she said, unsure of what to say.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" he asked sleepily, squeezing her hand in his.

"Not so great, but I'm happy you're here." She grinned shyly at him, and he returned the smile easily. He always felt relaxed around her.

She wasn't sure how long they spent just sitting there; smiling at each other and holding hands before their silent conversation was interrupted.

"Kate!" exclaimed Mike, a worried look already painted on his face "Thank god, I've been so worr- oh!"

Instantly Kate felt awful at the wounded look on Mike's face as he saw their hands clasped together so tightly and she quickly took her hand from Pete's.

Pete, sensing the tension between them, awkwardly stood up. "I'll, uh just go, um get some coffee" He said nervously, picking up Kate's hand once more to quickly squeeze it to which she smiled graciously before turning to face Mike.

She knew it was coming from the moment he walked in and saw them together. "Kate is there something going on between you and buffer? If there is just tell me now."

"Mike…" she felt like she had to explain, but suddenly all she felt towards Mike was anger. "Why would it matter if there was?"

"Uh Kate, Have you forgotten about the fraternization rules?" He asked in a patronizing tone. His voice was strong with distaste.

"Well Mike, have you forgotten that we broke them once before as well?" Her voice was shaking with rage that he mistook for sadness.

"Kate…" He knew where she was going with this.

"Don't 'Kate' me Michael Flynn; you think it's okay to have double standards then?"

"Kate it was a long time ago, we were both young…"

"And you think that it makes it hurt less Mike? That I loved you and you broke my heart? That you just left without a word, without saying goodbye."

"I wanted to do what was best for you Katie"

"But you made that decision yourself didn't you? I spent months Mike, months sitting around trying to figure out what I had done to make you leave. "

She felt her eyes watering and prayed for her tears not to betray her; she didn't need Mike to feel sorry for her.

"I'm sorry Kate…" It sounded genuine, but Kate couldn't accept it.

"It's a bit late for that Mike; you had five years to say it and the moment I start to move on, you have to bring it all up again."

"So there is something then? By the way, you were the one who brought it up."

She knew he didn't mean it in a way that would upset her, but at that moment all her feelings towards Mike that she had been bottling up for the past five years suddenly boiled over.

"Get out" she whispered through gritted teeth.

"Kate…" He looked startled, still unsure of where her anger came from. This only angered Kate more.

"I said get out Mike!" she yelled loudly, her voice echoing down the hospital corridors and the tears that she had been holding onto began to fall.

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That's all i have for a while, please review if you have any suggestions or ideas about what should happen next or just to say what you thought about it. Thanks :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry I'm so lazy and it took me so long to write and post this, but I have been busy too. Hope you enjoy, please review.**

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When Mike finally made his exit, Kate first felt relief. She didn't need him to see her like this, the mess she was when she cried. Her face blotchy and her cheeks tear stained.

She closed her eyes and tried desperately to erase the conversation from her mind. She had enough on her plate right now; she could deal with Mike later.

When she opened her eyes once more, Pete was back by her side, and she could see the concern on his face.

She knew that she looked terrible, but there was nothing on his face that conveyed that he thought the same.

As Buffer resumed his position in the chair beside her bed, Kate realized that contrary to her prior belief that their relationship was one-sided, it was possible that Pete had true feelings for her. What else could explain him being here by her side, holding her hand when it was completely unnecessary?

"Feel like sharing?' Pete enquired, but Kate just shook her head "Maybe later, how about you tell me why I'm sitting in a hospital bed?"

Pete nodded understandingly before launching into the story. "… You were out for hours. The doctors said that you fractured your wrist and cracked two ribs. They said you'll be able to leave tomorrow. You're lucky Kate, it could have been worse."

Pete paused, thinking his words through before continuing. "I was… really worried about you Kate, please don't do that again." He whispered as his thumb drew soothing circles on the back of her hand.

Yes, Kate thought to herself, this is definitely not the behavior of someone who isn't emotionally attached.

She smiled at the thought, but then remembered the certain fraternization rules that had broken her only true relationship up before.

"I'll try my hardest" she said, unsure of what to say, and then remembering she asked "Pete about tomorrow, would you mind giving me a lift? I don't have anyone to take me home and I don't think I'm capable of driving by myself."

"Sure Kate, no problem at all." Pete replied, trying to hide the eagerness in his voice.

"Thanks Pete, I really appreciate it, there's no one else I'd rather have with me, I mean no family anyway." and Kate hoped he understood that she really did appreciate it, not just the lift but also for just being there when she needed him.

Locking eyes once again, she smiled at him; it was so different for her, going from a situation where communication was mostly verbal, to one where she found herself having whole conversations with just her eyes and her smile.

Kate believed that it was worth the pain, because had it not been for that incident on the boat, she would not have been able to witness this side of Pete, the softer side that made it easier to distinguish Pete from Buffer.

Kate looked out her window, there wasn't much of a view but she noticed that the sky had darkened.

"What's the time?" She was unsure of how long she has been unconscious for but she must have woken up pretty late in the day.

Pete checked his watch "Just past 6."

"Shouldn't you be leaving then?"

"Well, I thought I'd stay, only if you want me to though. It's just you were saying before that you didn't have any family to stay with you…"

"Thanks Pete." Said Kate sleepily, already she was tired and her eyelids were beginning to droop. Slowly she moved over to the side of the narrow hospital bed "Might as well get comfortable then." She whispered as she patted the small allowance of space beside her.

Pete kicked off his shoes and climbed into the bed beside her. They only just fit together on the bed, arms encircling each other. "Kate?" Pete whispered, but she was already asleep, snoring softly, so Pete just leant down to press his lips against her forehead.

"Goodnight Kate."

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The next day, Pete drove Kate home after she had been given the all clear.

As they walked to the door, Kate pulled out her keys. She unlocked the door and opened it slightly before turning it around.

"Thanks for this Pete; it was totally unnecessary and I really am grateful." The, going out on a limb, she quickly reached up and pressed her lips to the corner of his mouth.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, that was stu-" she said as she turned to rush inside, but Pete grabbed her hand lightly and pulled her round to face him.

"That was far from stupid" He murmured as he leant down to kiss her fervently.

Kate reached up and just managed to hook her arms around his neck and Pete casually locked his arms around her waist, pulling her gently against his chest.

When Kate's lips were starting to bruise from the roughness of the kiss she pulled away, bringing her hands forward to cup his chin as her fingertips lightly brushed his cheeks.

"Stay." She said. It was a simple statement that required a simple answer, so Pete just nodded as he pulled her close once more.

**That's the next chapter, once again I'm not sure when I'll have the next chapter up, it doesn't feel quite finished, so I will try my hardest to have a new update soon. Hope you're enjoying the story and remember that all your reviews are important to me.**


	5. Chapter 5

The next morning Kate was woken once again by a bright light, but this time she recognized it as the sunlight streaming through the open curtains.

Rolling over, she found she was restricted by a firm set of hands on her waist. She rolled back again and watched silently as her company slept.

What had she done? Every wall she had built since Mike left her had been brought down in one night. She knew it was foolish, but she did have feelings for Pete and she knew now that they were feelings she couldn't ignore.

She realized that her prior movements had woken Pete and his eyes had opened, assessing her face. She lifted her unbandaged hand to rest it on his tanned cheek, textured by a thin layer of stubble.

"Good Morning Sunshine" Pete said cheerfully, a grin spreading over his face as he watched Kate rub her eyes, obviously hesitant to get up.

"Mmm" Kate murmured, closing her eyes. Pete chuckled softly and then proposed an idea "How about, if you get up, I'll make you brekkie?"

"Pancakes?" Kate asked cheekily.

"Sure, go have a shower though; we're due at the Hammersley at 11. The boss wants to speak to you and then your due over at Navcom."

Kate looked at her alarm clock. "11? It's quarter past 10 already!" She jumped out of the bed and then grabbed her chest "Ouch..,"

"You alright Kate?" Pete asked, with a concerned look on his face. He sat up on the bed and reached out to her.

"Yeah I'm fine" She reassured him. "Just the ribs, still a bit sore" Then looking at the clock again she let out a frustrated growl "Ahh, we're going to be late!"

"Better get moving then" Laughing as Kate gathered her clothes and stalked off to the bathroom.

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"They better be good pancakes" Kate said grumpily, as she walked into the kitchen towel drying her hair. She was wearing her whites, perfectly ironed of course.

"Well you can be the judge of that" Pete said as he slid her a plate.

'They look good' she said hesitantly 'are you sure they aren't poisoned?' Kate teased as she attempted to pull her hair up in a tight bun with her hands, but her bandaged wrist made it a little difficult, so she just left her out.

She pulled the plate closer to her and took a bite. "Mmm" she said through her chews "Not bad"

"Didn't your mother ever teach you not to chew with your mouth full?" He laughed, but stopped when he saw Kate's smile disappear. He remembered a while ago hearing about Kate's mother not being in her life when she was younger.

"I'm sorry Kate" He said but she just shook her head. "Want to talk about it?

"Nah, I'm fine" She said, as she looked around the room trying to find something to change the subject "Crap, is that the time? We're going to be late!" She yelled as she jumped up.

She grabbed her keys and Pete's hand and headed for the door.

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"Nikki!" Kate exclaimed as she headed over to the Hammersley. Pete had kissed her on the cheek as she got out of the car. He was staying behind in the car for a while, so as not to raise any suspicion. The navigator turned at the sound of her XOs voice and gave her a huge smile before heading over.

"Hey Kate, how are you?" She smiled widely, trying to hide her concern. She knew that what her friend went through was rough, and it would take some time for it all to sink in before she could get over it.

Nav wanted to be there for Kate, because she knew that the X was one of those people who would keep it all bottled up and that she needed to do all she could to make sure she realized that there was someone there for her.

"I'm fine Nikki; could you do me a favour though?"

"Yeah sure Kate what's up?" Nikki was worried; she wasn't going to let it all out already?

"Um, you wouldn't mind doing my hair would you? It's a bit hard when you only have one hand" She laughed and the Nav joined in.

"Sure Kate" Nav tied her hair into a low tight bun.

"Thanks Nikki." Kate replied.

"No problem Kate, so what's planned for today? You can't be back already?"

"Nah, just popping in to talk to the boss, and then I'm over to Navcom."

"Oh right, didn't think you'd be back already with your wrist and all"

"This?" Kate asked, waving her bandaged arm around. "It's nothing"

"Really?" Nikki snorted before turning serious "How are you holding up Kate, I mean apart from the wrist and ribs and all?"

"Oh Nikki I'm fine, never better, really." Kate let out in a gush of words. "Kate…" Nikki prompted.

"Seriously I am fine, now if you would excuse me I have to talk to the CO" Kate snapped as she headed up to the bridge, leaving Nikki behind to wonder how hard this supportive friend thing was going to be.

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"X!" Swain exclaimed as Kate made her way through the narrow corridors of the Hammersley "How're you feeling?"

"Not to bad, you haven't seen the boss have you?" Kate asked.

"Yeah, I think he's in his cabin." Swain replied and Kate thanked him and made her way to the CO's cabin.

When she arrived at his door she raised her hand, but was hesitant to knock. She hadn't forgotten their last meeting and she was certain he hadn't either, but were they both going to pretend it hadn't happen?

She dropped her hand and turned to walk away when she heard the door open. "Kate" a recognizable voice asked.

Silently she cursed inside her head before turning slowly. "It's X"

Mike looked surprised "I'm sorry X." He seemed at loss for words. "Would you ah- like to come in?"

"Do I have a choice, _sir_?" Kate replied as she entered his cabin.

She knew it was wrong to talk to her superior like this and it would not get her anywhere by doing so, but for some strange reason she took some enjoyment out of it. The usually steady and composed captain looked flustered as he followed his XO into the cabin and shut the door behind him.

**Next chapter: What happens in Kate and Mike's talk and also Kates talk with the commander.**

**Hey guys, sorry this has taken so long but I made this one a bit longer to make up for it :)**

**I was hoping to start a new chapter soon, but im going away for a while so it might take some time. Hope you enjoyed it, tell me what you thought. I really appreciate you reviews. :)**


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